Hatching of an Idea

8/05/08 Tuesday
While working in the studio this morning, I began to think… wow, what if I could still do the stainless steel piece? Have the two, standing together as a pair. The bronze with texture, and some polished reflective surfaces, the warmth of the bronze, and the stainless steel highly polished and reflective and cool. I had noticed that a few other artists had two works in progress or were working on a new maquette, and the studio had settled down a bit. I had established good relationships with committee members and they had seen my work in progress, which gave them a better idea of my capabilities, maybe, just maybe they will go for it. I needed to roll it around in my head a bit and bounce it off some other artists…it’s worth a try.
We had lunch, and we (Michael, Angela, Chun Hua and I) had made plans to go on a mission, take a taxi and go shopping in the afternoon looking for a sculpture tool (art supply) store. We had it on good authority there was a large store, so we were off. Well, the art supply store was very small and not well stocked, we managed to purchase a few items and at super low cost, one quarter of what I’d pay in Saipan. We look across the street and right on the corner … to our surprise is a Micky D’s. We had to see if the French fries tasted the same and if the quality control was up to snuff in China… final verdict… the same. With a large fry and a coke as mid-afternoon snack, we headed back to the sculptor’s studio and Michael and I discussed the idea of the second sculpture construction, he agreed it was worth a try. I began cutting the designs into the second clay block as if I were cutting stone, it’s called the subtractive process and it is a lot easier than stone, if too much comes off just add some and cut again… unlike stone, once it’s off, it’s gone. It has been a very good day.

8/06/08 Wednesday
I pulled the third clay blocks form off and began the packing of the final fourth clay block…finally. This morning, mid-morning, I proposed the idea of the sister sculpture in stainless steel to the symposium committee members through Chun Hau’s interpretation. It was hard to read the one member that I spoke with, he thought it would be very beautiful, but he would discuss it with the others, it seemed favorable. I’m sure there are budget matters and the availability sheet metal assistants. The more I think about it the more I really want to do it. But on to the work at hand, sculpting the relief into the first block. This work went slow at first, but I began to get a rhythm and managed to knock it out in good order. Yu and another assistant, who had little to do working with another artist (Theodor Bonev from St. Martin) came over or was assigned to me… who knows, but it was greatly appreciated by Yu and myself. Yu (above) is rigging the steel tree armature before placing it in the plywood form and adding clay around it. Top photo, Chun Hua and Yu demonstrating the proper form for "hang loose". the Chun Hua left to see to some sort of partly for tomorrow that is to be at a lake…the details are sketchy at best and I’m sure it has nothing to do with my B-day. Yep the big five-O. No one knows… I think.